Shaft for heat-treating furnaces



OCL 20, 1931. J, SAMMON 1,828,510

SHAFT FOR HEAT TREATING FURNACES Filed Dec. 17, 1927 ydlllll-l will yullllllllg Qlill ATTORNEYS.

f atentecl Oct. 20,

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics JOSEPB SAMMON, or KEARNY, VNEWV JERSEY, Assrenon (TO DRIVER-HARRIS COM- rANY, or HAIEtRISOII';INF-1K7 JERSEY, A conronarron on NEW JERSEY SHAFT Eon HEAVT-TREATINGTURNAGES Applicationfiled December 17,1927. Serial No. 240,707.

My invention relates to improvements in conveyor rollsfor high temperaturefheattreating furnaces and has for its object to produce a novel composite conveyor roll hav- 111g a core which is protected from the direct 5 action of the heat ofthefurnace. It further 7 has for its object to produce a heatytreating furnace conveyor roll whichdoes not require artificial cooling and whose core can be made of steel, or thelike. It also hasfor its object,

to provide a roll that can be easily installed.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention inwhich'zf Figure 1 shows in horizontal section a portion of a furnace for heat-treating] metal 5 sheets with a plurality of my improved con- Veyor rolls therein; j

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of the furnace through the axisof one of the rolls thereinand bearings therefor, the same being on an enlarged scale, p

Fig. 3. is a section across the conveyor roll shown in Fig. 2; and i a Fig. 4 is a section of the roll on the line Referring more particularly'to the drawings 2 and 4are the walls of aheat treating furnace for annealing or normalizing metal sheets and comprising a series'of conveyor rolls. Each roll is composed of a'fseamless tube 6 constituting a core or shaft mounted in bearings 8 and 10and provided at one end with a sprocket wheel 12. Upon this shaft are mounted disks 14 which are provided 5 with suitable hubs 16 and circular lateral flanges 18 spaced away therefrom,the web between the hub and flanges being provided.

with a plurality of openings 20 topermit the free circulation of air. V

Telescoping with and supported by the opposing flanges 18 are cast metallic'shields 22, tubular in form, theintermediate shields having at both ends enlarged portions 24 fitting over the flanges l8. Oneof the end shields has an enlarged portion26 and a and 40 reduced body portion28 passing through a wall of the furnace. The shield at the other end telescopes over one of the lateral flanges Mounted on the shaft adjacent to and overlapping the outer walls of the furnace are closure plates 34 and 36 having openings 38 or the passage of air.

The disks 14 are made of an alloy having high heat resistance, such as an alloy composed ofnickel, chromium and iron. Preferably this :alloy. has substantially nickel, 12% chromium and 26% iron, the balance being'carbon and impurities, such an alloy having been found to have great heat resistance and to be free from deleterious effects upon the sheets which are passed through the furnace tobe annealed or normalized.

f The shields-22,28 and 30 are made of a heat resisting alloy, preferably the same alloy as thedisks 14.

The disks 14 are provided with enlarged faces 42 and in order to reduce their weight are preferably provided with openings 44. Theshaft shown is a tubular shaft, open throughout its length, and the space within the shields constitutes a series of tubular chambers open throughout its length so that air cancirculate through the same and the openings 38 and 40. a y As usual the sprocket wheels on alternate rolls are engaged by sprocket chains 46 i so that the rolls can be driven in the same direction The disks upon adjacent rolls are staggered as shown in Fig. 1, the reduced portions of the shields permitting the axes of the disks to be brought closer together than if the shields were of uniform diameter so that'the'disks supportfthesheets being passed through the furnace at a greater number of more closely related points than would otherwise be the case.

The shields prevent the heat of the furnace from being transmitted directly to the body of the shaft whose temperature is thereby maintained at a much lower point than if the body of the shaft were exposed to the direct heat of the furnace, the air in the spaces between the shaft and the shields being a poor conductor of heat and heat insulating the shaft from the intense heat of the furnace. The minimum distance from shaft to shield is preferably about two inches. The bore of the shaft also permits air to circulate to some extent and assist in maintaining the core of the roll cool. With my shaft itis unnecessary even with steel cores to force any cooling air or fluid through the shafts so that the amount of heat dissipated through the rolls is not such as to constitute a serious loss.

Vith my improved roll I obtain an efficient support for the sheets to be treated which will have great durability and long life and under normal conditions will not bend, buckle or break, and also a roll which is less expensive and of lighter weight than rolls now in use for similar purposes.

The disks 14 are keyed to the body of the shaft so that the parts can be assembled and disassembled within the furnace after the walls are constructed. I preferably key each disk to the shafts by inserting a screw pin as in the body of the shaft at the desired point, one-half of the head-pin being cut away, and provide the disk hub with a keyway having'a laterally extending recess 52 which is filled by the cut away head of the pin. The key 54: when inserted in the keyway holds the head of the pin in the recess so that the disk is fixed to the shaft.

WVith this construction the roll can be conveniently assembled in the furnace. Thus in assembling the roll shown in Fig. Qthe internal parts other than the shaft 6 and its pins 48 and the right hand shield 30 are first introduced into the furnace and the shaft is then threaded through the hole in the right hand wall and the previously inserted parts in the order shown. The pins 48 are then inserted in the shaft, the parts being movable to permit such insertion.

The disks are then properly positioned sucsessively beginning at theleft, Fig. 2, so that the pins 48 lie in the recesses 52, a key 54 being inserted as soon as its disk is so positioned, the shields and disks to the right of the positioned disk being so moved as to permit such insertion. After the right hand disk has been secured in place the end shield 30 is passed over the right hand end of the shaft and the right hand flange 18 on the disk last positioned. The cap pieces 34 and 36 and sprocket 12 are then applied.

The alternate rolls are preferably assembled first, since the movements of the parts of a roll which is being assembled are limited somewhat by an adjacent assembled roll.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departin from the spirit thereof or the scope of t e appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a conveyor roll for a furnace for heattreating metallic sheets, the combination of a central shaft, a series of disks mounted thereon, and tubular shields of heat resisting metal engaging said disks, each shield surrounding said shaft and being spaced away therefrom so as to form an air chamber, said disks having perforations opening into the chambers within said shields so as to connect said chambers.

2. In a conveyor roll for a furnace for heattreating metallic sheets, the combination of a central shaft, a series of disks mounted thereon, and tubular shields of heat resisting metal enga 'ng said disks, each shield surrounding sai shaft and being spaced away therefrom so as to form an air chamber, said disks having lateral flanges telescoping with said shields, the central portions of each intermediate shield being smaller in diameter than its ends.

3. In a conveyor roll for a furnace for heattreating metallic sheets, the combination of a central shaft, a series of disks mounted thereon, tubular shields of heat resisting metal engaging 'said disks, each shield surrounding said shaft and being spaced away therefrom so as to form an air chamber, said disks having'lateral flanges telescoping with said shields, andperforated disks closing the outer ends of the end shields and adapted to plverlap adjacent portions of the furnace wa 4. In a conveyor roll for a furnace for heattreating metallic sheets, the combination of a central shaft, a series of disks mounted thereon, tubular shields of heat resisting metal engaging said disks, each shield surrounding said shaft and being spaced away therefrom so as to form an air chamber, the

hubofeach disk being provided with a keyway and recesses in one side of said keyways,

pins extending from said shaft into said recesses and keys within said keyways engaging said pins and holding them within said recesses.

5. In a heat-treating furnace, the combination of two walls having openings therein for the ends of a conveyor roll, a shaft extending through said wall, disks of heat resisting alloy mounted on said shaft and provided with lateral extensions, intermediate shields of heat resisting alloy surrounding said shaft and telescoping with said extensions, said -shields beingspaced away from said shaft so as to provide air chambers, and end shields telescoping with the outside flanges on the end disks, one of said end shields being of smaller diameter than said disks and adapted to be inserted through the hole within the corresponding end Wall and filling said hole, 7

and means engaging said shaft for supporting the outer ends of said end shields.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 8th day of December, 1927.

. JOSEPH SAMMON. 

